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Mood Lighting

Winter’s gloom gives way to the shimmering tones of spring.

The sultry bronze vixen of 2004, with her bright lips, glittering skin, and heavily lined eyes, has gone the way of all trends this spring, and in her place is a rather more subdued but no less golden girl. Shimmer has replaced outright glitter, eyes are smudged rather than smoked, lips are moist rather than lacquered, and neutral tones are the preferred palette. “It’s not as much about color as it is about glowing skin and looking natural,’’ says cosmetics guru Trish McEvoy. “Less deep orange, more warm gold.’’

Forget pink and brown blush and rosy apple cheeks, too; think scattered touches of iridescence achieved via powder or cream applied to the face’s high points—cheekbones, temples, and bridge of the nose. Scott Barnes, the makeup artist who
developed the lustrous body cream that gave Jennifer Lopez her signature incandescence, now has Body Bling in Platinum ($48 at Henri Bendel), a lighter moisturizer with a quieter,
silvery sparkle. Chanel’s new Ruban Perle in Sunlight ($50 at Bloomingdale’s) is a pressed powder with a peachy brown tint that gives a reserved radiance, and Diane Von Furstenberg’s Foreplay Cheek Stick ($25 at Saks Fifth Avenue) is a lightweight coral tint with gold flecks that’s part of a line the designer calls “no makeup makeup.”

The eyelid has likewise shaken off its layers of kohl in favor of lighter looks. “Eye shadows are neutral, but defined with liner and lashes, often in dark navy,’’ according to makeup artist Kimara Ahnert. L’Oréal Wear Infinite Holographic in Royal Sapphire can take you there for mere pennies ($3.95 at Duane Reade); ditto Sonia Kashuk’s well-priced Eyeshadow Palette in Sweet Nothings ($12.99 at Target), which has a multi-purpose palette of shimmery hues including nude, rose, and silver. In fact, convenience is a big part of this new look: The three glimmery gel-formula tones in the Les Lumières Palette from Chantecaille ($68 at Bergdorf Goodman) can go on eyes, lips, or anywhere on the face, and McEvoy’s Eyeshadow Glaze in 18K works equally well dabbed on cheekbones ($15 at Saks Fifth Avenue). As for lips, nudes and pale rosy tones complement the luminous look—or at least don’t compete with it. Try Lorac’s Lip Duo in Hot and Steamy, which contains both pale mauve and light-bronze shimmer ($18 at Sephora) or Stila’s Lip Glaze in Lemongrass—a peachy nude with a discreet gleam ($20 at Bloomingdale’s).